As fabrics age, their color tends to fade or yellow due to exposure to light, air, soil, and natural degradation of the fibers that comprise the fabrics. To counteract this unwanted effect, laundry detergent manufacturers incorporate hueing agents into their products. Deposition of hueing dye onto white fabric, provides the consumer with a perception of increased whiteness, and counteracts the fading and yellowing of fabrics.
Thus, the purpose of hueing agents is typically to provide whiteness perception to fabrics and counteract the fading and yellowing of the fabrics.
It is believed that the ability of hueing agents to counteract fading and yellowing of textile fabrics is limited by the presence of soil in the wash liquor which has been removed from the fabric but which redeposits during the wash step. This redeposited soil affects the ability of the deposited hueing agent to provide hueing benefit to the dried fabrics.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved method of counteracting fading and yellowing of fabrics.
The Inventors have surprisingly found that the method the present invention solves this problem.